


Drifting Apart

by Bay



Series: Chasing the Desert [2]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-11
Updated: 2014-06-11
Packaged: 2018-02-04 05:35:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1767388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bay/pseuds/Bay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being separated was driving them nuts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drifting Apart

Riza was bored out of her mind as she listened to Fuhrer Bradley on the phone.

He was speaking with one of the generals from Southern Headquarters over the progress in Aerugo. She was aware of her friend and former colleague, Fuery, stationed there, and every day she prayed that he was all right. The last time Riza heard from him, he had been upset over the death of a good friend he’d recently made on the battlefield. The young woman caught some bits of the conversation—suggestions over bringing in a few State Alchemists for more manpower, a shortage of ammunition that needed to be shipped from Central as soon as possible, more casualties being reported. Nothing held Riza’s interest, and her mind wandered off. 

The past few weeks were tiring for her. There was always something Fuhrer Bradley had to take care of, and she was required to be by his side. The old man would be out of his office (and out of Central) many times, so the both of them traveled a lot. Being away to different cities was nice, but there was rarely any time for sightseeing, not that she was the type of person to enjoy doing that. She was fine staying at home and relaxing after another long day of work. There was only one person she was willing to travel with, though. 

_I would rather travel with you, Colonel._

The lieutenant admitted, she missed being around the colonel. It was fun telling him that he shouldn’t slack off. She missed their conversations together over the events happening in Amestris and in the neighboring countries. Sure, they still chat during lunch at the cafeteria, but ever since she became a hostage, their talks were awkward. Fuhrer Bradley was always on top of his work, not even taking one second to rest. She and the Fuhrer rarely exchange words together unless it was important business. Yet she enjoyed Colonel Mustang’s company very much. 

Riza took a glance at her new superior’s back while he was still talking on the phone. It would be so easy to shoot him right now, but remembering they were inside his office held her from doing that. Besides, her telling Edward she was capable of doing that was only a joke… right?

xxx

“So you’ll be moving to the Eastern Hospital soon?” Roy asked Havoc while visiting him at the hospital one afternoon. A bouquet of flowers was nestled nicely in a vase that was on a table not far from them. 

“Yeah, but not until I’m more stable. It’ll be nice as I’ll be close by my family, which they’ll appreciate,” Havoc explained with an easy going smile. 

“Indeed it will,” the colonel said, smiling back. Deep down in his heart, he was going to miss him a lot. 

The fallen comrade’s face slipped into something that would be considered a flick of intensity. “Again, it sucks the team is separated. I was hoping for all of us to meet before I get transferred.”

Roy lowered his head, his eyes on the floor. “Me too,” he agreed in a soft tone. 

The last few weeks had felt like forever to him. His life was empty without Breda, Falman, Fuery, and Hawkeye around. He was able to get in touch with them once in a while, but it just wasn’t the same. Every day his office grew smaller and smaller each time he entered it. It wouldn’t be long until he couldn’t fit inside the room anymore. 

He worried about his lieutenant the most because of her post with Fuhrer Bradley. Ever since the Fuhrer had taken his queen from him, he wasn’t able to get much shut eye. To make things worse, Pride was keeping an eye on Riza too. He feared for her safety. Even with her talent, would she be able to handle them alone? Roy felt he was drifting apart from her and hated that—she was supposed to be protecting his back at all times.

His thoughts were interrupted when there was the clicking of heels and a knock. 

“Havoc, it’s me, Lieutenant Hawkeye!”

Roy’s blood froze. They shouldn’t see each other beyond Central Headquarters. Before the former second lieutenant could ask why there was a look of horror on Roy’s face, he sat on the empty bed next to Havoc and pulled the curtains to hide himself. 

“Don’t let her know I’m here,” he whispered in a commanding tone. He heard Havoc grunting in understanding.

Roy stayed there, listening to their conversation, which wasn’t much. She asked how he was doing, Havoc’s response similar to what he told Roy earlier about going to the Eastern Hospital. Havoc soon asked if she had seen the colonel lately, her reply being not really, save for lunch, and to tell him she said ‘hi’ when he comes by. 

_She knows I’m here._

At that moment, he wanted to open the curtains and see the lieutenant, ask her to join him for a bite to eat downtown and to catch up. Instead, he stood still, waiting for her to leave and close the door. 

There was more to her visit, he realized after leaving the hospital. She left Havoc a note, only for the paralyzed man to give it to him. He unrolled the piece of paper while walking. 

“After the New Year, in the spring, on the Promised Day, the north and east will make their move.” 

Roy looked at the sunset, thinking the days would drag away from this point on. He had some planning to do. 

xxx

On a quiet Saturday morning, Riza was having tea with Mrs. Bradley. They were alone, no one else around. 

It was a shock to her when she got a call from the Fuhrer’s wife, inviting her for tea and to talk. She asked if her husband was fine with it, and Mrs. Bradley said he thought it would be great if the two women get to know one another. Deciding she had nothing better to do, Riza agreed to it.

So far there wasn’t much discussion going on between them, the awkward silence unsettling to her. From the trees, the pigeons were having much better luck at communicating with one another. Riza was the first to break the silence. 

“Where are Selim and Fuhrer Bradley now?” 

The older woman took a sip of her tea before she spoke. “They’re at the park now, spending some time together.”

_Or to meet with their leader._

The lieutenant wasn’t sure how to mention to Mrs. Bradley that Selim and her husband were both Homunculi; the lady was in just as much danger as she was. Riza thought back to when Fuhrer Bradley told her he had chosen his wife while everything else was handed to him. Whether the reason was for love or to take Mrs. Bradley as a prize, it was vague, and the Fuhrer wouldn’t go into any more detail about it. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for her (and helpless to do anything about it). The lemon-scented aroma from Riza’s tea caused her nose to twitch. 

“You actually look lovely when you’re not in uniform,” the Fuhrer’s wife suddenly said, her voice sweet as the honey that was dashed in their tea.

Riza looked up. This was the first time someone had complimented her on her looks. Not even her father had said how pretty she was. 

“Miss Hawkeye, are you all right?”

Remembering she was having tea with Mrs. Bradley, Riza made herself smile. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m just flattered hearing that from you.”

She would be more flattered if he had said that. No, she was being absurd for wishing that. 

xxx

Mondays and Thursdays were the days the colonel expected the lieutenant to join him for lunch, but this particular Monday he wasn’t sure if he was looking forward to it. 

Alone at a table, Roy was slowly chewing his lunch. He couldn’t stop thinking about the day when Riza visited Havoc at the hospital. Now that he thought about it, the former second lieutenant was right. It was silly of him to hide from her during a hospital visit. He regretted not asking her for that casual meal. 

Just as he feared, Riza walked over to his table and sat across from him, like always. She had put the folders down, which were next to her mashed potatoes, biscuits, and sliced ham. 

“Now you’re bringing your work to lunch too?” Roy asked with a cocked eyebrow. 

The lieutenant opened one of the documents and took a couple bites from her biscuit. “The Fuhrer wants me to look over these documents and offer some suggestions before our trip to East City next week. They’re proposals for a few new programs at the military academy. Exciting stuff.”

“Another trip? He must be very busy these days.” 

“He isn’t the Fuhrer for nothing, sir,” Riza responded, not tearing her eyes off the document. She took another bite from her biscuit. 

They ate in silence. While eating his mashed potatoes, Roy looked at Riza’s impassive face. It was given she was trying to not show her annoyance of traveling while on the job once more. He wanted her to come sit next to him and them talking freely, like the good old days. 

As they continued on with their lunch, Roy’s mind drifted towards the Promised Day. One question that kept coming back to haunt him was how the lieutenant found out about that information. He needed to know, but didn’t want to ask directly to her about it in fear of someone catching on and letting Fuhrer Bradley know about it. 

“Lieutenant, I want to talk to you about… the cigarettes you gave to Havoc.” 

Roy could tell from Riza’s surprised expression she had an idea of what he was talking about. Whether she wanted to discuss it now, he wasn’t sure. 

“What seems to be the problem?” she asked after gaining back her stoic composure. “I bought his favorite brand.”

“Nothing. It was unusual of you to give them to him. Did someone help you?”

Riza quickly chewed on a piece of her ham before replying. “Yes. Rebecca was the one who suggested it.”

So it was her who had told Lieutenant Hawkeye about the Promised Day. Grumman probably had Rebecca spread the word. 

“I see. Havoc offered me a cigarette and I accepted. I should thank you for buying a good pack for him.”

“You don’t have to, but I appreciate it.”

Roy thought he was imagining things when he saw a tiny smile on her lips. Again, he hated himself for wanting her.

The lieutenant glimpsed at the clock. “I have to go now, sir. I hope you enjoy your meal.”

Before the man could say anything, Riza in graceful succession got up, took her tray, had tucked the documents under her arm, and dashed off. Flabbergasted, Roy closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them, he noticed she had left three folders behind. His first impulse was to grab them and wave them in the air. 

“Lieutenant, you forgot some of your documents!” Roy yelled, trying to be louder than the chattering crowd. No luck; Riza was already out of the cafeteria. 

The colonel let out another heavy sigh. Both the lieutenant and the Fuhrer would be out most of today, and he wouldn’t dare go slide the folders through the office’s door. He shouldn’t, but he would have to pay her a visit later tonight. 

xxx

“…where are those documents?” Riza muttered while rummaging through piles of papers on the coffee table next to the sofa.

As soon as she came home late at night, she had begun to look over the files, only to find that she was missing three folders. Riza double, triple, quadruple checked them, only to come up with nothing. Giving up on searching, she had set the papers down on the table and rubbed her eyes in aggravation. 

Where had she last put those three folders? Riza remembered taking them with her at lunch today so that she could read some of the documents while eating. She didn’t, though, being distracted with her conversation with Colonel Mustang…

_Dammit, he probably has them._

Riza assumed the colonel had those missing documents and had saved them either at his office or at home. She wanted to rush to one of those places and get them from him, but that wouldn’t be a good idea. Meeting him tomorrow at his office was the wiser choice. 

There was the sound of knocking, which startled Riza; rarely did she have visitors during this time. After getting up, she dashed to the door and opened it, her heart pounding in exhilaration as she saw who it was. 

“Colonel, what are you doing here?”

“You left your documents in the cafeteria, so I decided to give them back to you after I got off from work.”

Roy held out the folders for Riza to see. She took them from him and sighed in relief.

“I owe you for bringing these back to me. But you shouldn’t be here.”

“I know,” the colonel said, lowering his head. He was silent for a moment, and then said, “I didn’t plan to stay long anyways.” 

After giving her a salute, Roy walked away. There was something inside Riza that snapped when she saw his back growing more distant from her. 

“Colonel, wait!”

Riza’s throat went dry when the man turned around and blinked. A slight smile appeared on her face.

“You look like you had a long day. Would you like me to give you something to drink?”

Roy chuckled—the lieutenant knew he thought it was rare of her to be generous like that, and she agreed. 

“I would like that very much,” he said, a smile brightening his face. 

Stepping aside, Riza waited until he came inside to close the door. Roy sat down on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. The lieutenant walked inside her kitchen, tossed the newly-found documents aside on the counter, and poured a glass of water. She quickly went into the living room and joined Roy, giving him the drink. 

“Thanks, Lieutenant. Cheers,” he said, raising the glass before taking a drink from it. 

There was an awkward quietness that came, damp as a washcloth. Riza kept her eyes away from Roy, but she could hear his right foot shifting in an unsure way. Realization hit her harder than a shot from a bullet that they were alone now.

Why was he here, why was he here, why was he here? And why didn’t she want him to leave yet? 

When Roy instantly scooted closer, grabbed Riza’s left hand, and pressed his back against hers, she felt a sudden emptiness inside her stomach. Whatever gesture the colonel was getting at, it was making every nerve inside her body quiver.

“Nothing’s been the same since Fuhrer Bradley snatched my men away,” he said quietly. “I miss you.”

Her heart ached for him. It was unfair for him to suffer like that; he didn’t deserve it. 

“I miss you, too,” she admitted. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

“Me neither,” Roy said, his tone grim.

Silence fell between the military officers the second time in one night. This was driving Riza crazy; even with them finally together, granted not for long, the discomfort was still there. They weren’t even looking at one another. She then remembered the short conversation they had at lunch over the Promised Day. The both of them needed to continue on from there.

“I’m wondering, are you already thinking about how to go by this Promised Day?”

“The initial run of it, yes. Falman was the one to let Grumman know about the Promised Day, hence the North and East armies working together. He’ll be with the North Army as General Armstrong will need him. I’m going to contact Breda and Fuery to have them meet us the night before.”

Riza’s eyes flew open. _Us?_

By _us_ , did he mean _him_ and _her_? The colonel still hadn’t explained what his role would be on the Promised Day, and already he wanted her to join in this theatrical performance without handing her the script. 

“I’m going to need your help overthrowing King Bradley. Before you ask, I’ve let Fuery and Breda know about this and they’re willing to do it.” 

Her heart stopped a beat. She knew Roy wanted Fuhrer Bradley’s seat since she was his subordinate, but didn’t expect him to do it by force. What if everything backfired? His plan was far too dangerous. 

_He could get killed._

“I don’t know. I’m the Fuhrer’s hostage, remember? That, and…” She paused, then lowered her voice to say, “I don’t want you to die.”

“Please,” Roy whispered, pleading. His fingers around hers squeezed tighter. 

Riza couldn’t help but crack. “All right, Colonel, I’ll help you,” she said with a hint of promise, a sad smile appearing on her face. He was a fool for going through with this, but she promised she would go down to hell with him, so she might as well run with it. 

The response, “Good”, floated out from Roy’s lips. She shifted a little and glanced over at him. His gratuitous smile graced her. 

It wouldn’t be long until he had to leave. Time was sliding by a silk’s thread, and she wanted to make every moment of this count. 

“So, what did you do with those flowers?” Why she wanted to know about what happened to the flowers he bought a while back she wasn’t sure, but it would at least have them talking. 

A snort broke off from Roy before he responded, “Well, I gave some to Havoc, left a few at Hughes’ grave, had Vanessa and Madame Christmas take some out of my hands, and the rest… I burned them.”

Usually Riza would stare at him for doing something like that, but was surprised to hear herself laugh. “How did I know you would do that?”

“Well, I don’t have time to take care of flowers, so burning them seemed the best possible approach.”

“It doesn’t take long to water flowers, sir. Then again, I know how much you hate using water.”

“Hey, that’s uncalled for!” Roy said, pouting, causing her to chuckle.

“Well, that’s the truth.” Riza stopped for a moment to take a deep breath. “I’m glad you came tonight to bring back the documents. There’s also something else you found that I’d lost.” 

“What that might be?” The man sounded like he was choking. 

“Your back.” The lieutenant imagined Roy beaming over this reply (and she was right). 

It was a great feeling, the both of them alone and having a decent conversation like this. As the two became quiet once more, Riza embraced it this time. She loved leaning her back against his, knowing he was here with her then and there, his breath burning her neck. If only they could be like this forever…

_Knock knock knock_

“Lieutenant Hawkeye!”

“Shit, it’s Bradley!” Roy hissed.

Riza sighed in frustration. She let go of his hand and slowly lifted herself off the sofa. 

“I’ll be just a minute!” the lieutenant yelled, then turned her head slightly to Roy. “Hide behind the sofa and stay low.” 

The colonel nodded and did just that while Riza walked towards the door. She opened it and was greeted by the old man’s warm smile. 

“Hello, Fuhrer. What brings you here tonight?”

“I came to give you the tickets for our trip to East City next week. I was originally going to wait until tomorrow, but since I just passed by your apartment, I decided to give it to you now.”

The Fuhrer took out a ticket from a pocket of his military jacket and handed it to Riza. 

“Thanks. That’s very generous of you,” she said after taking the ticket from him. 

“No problem, Lieutenant.” Fuhrer Bradley gave a quick nod. “Well, I’m off. I look forward to your thoughts on those documents I wanted you to look over.”

“I was working on them the instant before you came here, sir.”

“Good. See you tomorrow, then.”

The Fuhrer spun around and took a few steps, before halting to look back at Riza. 

“One more thing before I go. I thought I saw someone else coming to your doorstep. It isn’t Mustang, is it?”

Riza’s shoulders went stiff, the woman trying her best to not look stunned. If the Fuhrer wanted to go into her living room… she dismissed that thought quickly. 

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “He probably just passed by my place and then continued walking to his house.”

He didn’t look convinced, but the lieutenant could discern that the elder man—homunculus, she corrected herself—wasn’t going to go further into it. 

“Must be my imagination. All right, I must be heading out now.”

The man began walking again, Riza watching him until she wasn’t able to see him anymore. She closed the door and sat back down on the sofa. Knowing it was safe to come out of hiding without Riza telling him, Roy got up and rested his arms on the armchair. 

“He knows you’re here, but didn’t pursue to find you.”

“The Fuhrer is planning something special for me, I know it.”

There was nothing more for them to exchange words over that. Everything was about to change and they needed to prepare for it. 

“It’s best you leave now, Colonel, before someone else comes.” It pained Riza to say that, but she didn’t want to risk them being caught alone together. 

“You’re right. I better get going.”

Roy walked over to the door and was about to leave, but inclined his head and smiled. Riza caught a spark of grief in his eyes.

“Remember, the night before the Promised Day. I’ll let you know beforehand the location. Wait for me.”

The door was soon shut and he was gone. The lieutenant stared at the ticket she was holding. She clenched her other fist, wanting to rip it up but couldn’t bring herself to.

xxx

“Roy-boy, one of my girls was able to find out where... Roy? Roy?”

Roy decided to go visit Madam Christmas before heading to home for some business. However, his thoughts weren’t on that when he entered the bar that night. 

He hadn’t been thinking straight when he’d pressed his back against Riza’s, and even more so when he’d said he missed her. An odd sense of longing had him wondering what would happen if their roles switched, him protecting her back. In that instant, he didn’t want to leave the lieutenant, ever. In the months to come, that night would repeatedly appear back to him.

“You saw her, didn’t you?”

Startled blinks came from Roy as soon as the woman leaned in closer to the man’s face with a concerned expression, resting her elbow on the counter. He never liked her smoky breath, despite dealing with fire alchemy all the time. 

“Yes, moments ago. ‘Elizabeth’ had lost a few important papers and I went to her apartment to return them to her. She invited me in for a drink, I accepted, and one thing led to another…”

“You two kissed?” The madam had a sinister grin playing around her dried lips, more than enough to make her foster son turn red and speechless. 

“No!” he replied in an alarmed tone, lightly coughing right after to calm himself. “We sat together and had a chat, only it wasn’t awkward like the ones we have during lunch. Though I had to leave as soon as Bradley showed up.”

“That’s all?” Madam Christmas snorted. “I expected something more passionate between you two. I hate to say it, but you guys are boring.”

The colonel smiled. _There’s more to it than that, but I’m not telling_. If Bradley hadn’t interfered, he would have let her know that he was being productive with his work lately and that he wished Fullmetal would give him back his five hundred and twenty cenz and of how he noticed her hair smelled like oranges and how he was glad he’d found his back for her. He now wanted the Promised Day to go on already. 

“We’re fine like that, thank you very much.” 

Shrugging, Roy’s foster mother said, “If you say so.” 

“It’s getting late and I should get back,” Roy said as he stood up. “Before I go though, there’s one other job I have for you.”

“Anything, Roy-boy.”

“While we’re still on the subject of Elizabeth, she mentioned that Selim Bradley is a Homunculus.”

The color drained from Madam Christmas’ face. “The Fuhrer’s son? Are you sure?”

“I was just as shocked as you are when she gave me the message. I want you to find out more about the boy’s background to confirm my suspicions.”

The colonel saw the hesitation in her eyes, but she gave him a sinister grin. “This is a huge assignment, but I’m willing to take it.”

“Thanks, you’re doing me a huge favor. Well, you have a good night.” 

“All right. Watch yourself, son.” 

Roy gave her a nod followed by a wave goodbye. He made his leave, the lights from the lampposts stalking his shadow. 

xxx

The first thing Riza planned to do when she and Fuhrer Bradley settled into their train car was to take off her boots. 

A lot of needless walking was involved when they were visiting the East City Military Academy. Visiting the many familiar buildings made her nostalgic, and she wasn’t the kind of person to be that way. She was glad many of the cadets were well disciplined, but was uneasy when a few female students asked her to teach them how to use the rifle-- the lieutenant told them nicely that she wasn’t a good instructor. Riza and Fuhrer Bradley were able to turn in the documents to the president of the academy, who’d wanted to look over and discuss them; this had gone fairly well. 

After the driver made a right turn, he informed the Fuhrer that it’d be another half an hour before they make it to the train station. Fuhrer Bradley gave his thanks and jerked his head to look at the lieutenant. 

“I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get home. Selim and Martha are dying to see me.”

His smile appeared warm, yet Riza involuntarily shivered. 

“I may not have a family, but it will be nice to relax in my bed when I get to my place.” 

The quietness lingered on as they continued to drive. Riza rested her head on the window, staring outside. There was that one library Falman visited to gather books for the assignments. Nancy’s Bakery, Breda’s favorite place to grab cake, looked busy today. The liquor store Havoc bought his cigarettes at, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have much business yet. The bar the team would go out for drinks on Fridays had a “Help Wanted” sign shown behind the window. Benny’s Pet Shop, the place Fuery recommended for her to buy dog food for Hayate. An old abandoned house—smaller than she once remembered, but there were still the damages from perhaps termites and weeds that needed to be pulled many years ago and the scent of fire that never faded away…

“You must be glad you became a dog of the military, am I right?” 

A sharp noise left the lieutenant’s throat. Fuhrer Bradley turned his face in Riza’s direction, again that warm smile bothering her. She assumed he caught a glance of that building. 

“What makes you think that, Fuhrer?”

“It’s a worn out tale, but a daughter of a talented alchemist leaves after her father dies to live a better life. She chooses the path her father’s apprentice took because she believed in his ideals and dreams, hoping to meet him one day. That girl did, and the both of them never left one another’s side.”

“Sounds like a lovely tale,” Riza replied in a dull voice. Of course, the Fuhrer tried to get a reaction from her—she wasn’t surprised he knew that much history about her and Roy. 

The car screeched to a halt after what seemed like eternity to the woman and they stepped out. Their tickets to go back to Central were already taken care of, the lieutenant and the Fuhrer all set to leave. The military train was ready for them and King Bradley was the first to step inside. Riza was about to also, but she paused, hearing the colonel telling her to wait. 

_“Remember, the night before the Promised Day. I’ll let you know beforehand the location… Wait for me.”_

“Right, sir,” she whispered with a smile before climbing onto the stairs to join the Fuhrer inside. The train took off, the afternoon sun over the horizon starting to fade.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Royai Day, everyone! I have several fics I posted at LJ/Dreamwidth but not on AO3, so I decided to do light edits on [Drifting Apart](http://bay115.livejournal.com/58768.html), which I wrote back in 2011. The prompt I was given back then was " Roy comes across something Riza had lost..."
> 
> Some changes from the 2011 LJ version:
> 
> 1) I changed every instance of "King Bradley to "Fuhrer Bradley". Not sure why I went with King Bradley.
> 
> 2) Some instances of "man", "young woman", "alchemist", etc. I changed to pronouns/names.
> 
> 3) I originally had Roy going to find Lan Fan and Fu, but they're in Xing by the time Riza let Roy know about Selim Bradley, so I took any mentions of Lan Fan and Fu out.
> 
> 4) I had Riza give Roy orange juice, but then my beta for Wicked Paths mentioned I should use a different drink when I had Ed and his family drink orange juice for lunch, so yeah that really bothered me when I reread that part, haha.
> 
> 5) Otherwise, everything else stayed the same from the 2011 version.
> 
> Last thing I want to mention is some of you probably will think Riza forgetting the folders is somewhat out of character, and I don't blame you for that. I more or less did that because of the prompt I was given, so yeah.


End file.
